Reactions
by Dragonflys-Girl
Summary: I can't have a piece of myself die every time you've decided work is more important than your life. Final Chapter up. Review please!
1. Confrontation

Title: Reactions  
  
Author: Claudia J. Chan (Claudie)  
  
Genre: angst, and romance, existing relationship  
  
Archive: Well.... I have my website or fanfiction.net Don't own them, don't sue me!  
  
Spoiler Alert: "One Shot, One Killed"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Kate noted that Gibbs' house's light was off. She tried calling him again, but still, the machine answered. Taking a deep breath, she killed the ignition and stepped out into the brisk cold night.  
  
As she walked toward his house, she tried to calm her fear, telling herself that he was okay now, probably just too focused on his boat to realize the phone was ringing – or he just chose to ignore it.  
  
She knocked and a minute later, she heard a shout, "I'm not interested in anything you have. Leave me alone."  
  
"It's me, Gibbs," Kate shouted back before her mind could tell her to just leave, that it was a stupid idea coming up here in the first place anyway. She shook her head, trying not to think of the irony that they were involved for weeks, and she still called him Gibbs, not Jethro, and definitely not Leroy. So impersonal.  
  
"Just open the damn door then," his shout came again.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and walked into Jethro Gibbs' world. She looked around, saw that he was not in the living room, and turned immediately toward the door that led to the basement.  
  
"Kate, you should know by now that I don't lock my front door," he had stopped working already and greeted her at the end of the staircase. "Why do you knock every time you come over?"  
  
"It's your personal space and your life," she reasoned softly. "I don't want to intrude."  
  
Gibbs was surprised by her thought. He thought he was doing a good job in nurturing their relationship - apparently not.  
  
"What are you talking about, Kate? You are always welcome in my home, and you are definitely not intruding. You are important to me, Kate, and I would love to spend more time with you, whenever we can. You're welcome all the time."  
  
"Don't say things because you think I want to hear them, Gibbs," She glanced at him sadly before walking away. The confused look on his face prompted her to explain herself, "You say all these things about I'm important, but you do things with a totally different mentality."  
  
"Kate, what do you mean?" he approached her slowly, not wanting to crowd her but still wanted to be close. "What do you mean I do things with a totally different mentality?"  
  
"Your work is always important to you, right?" she looked at him in the eyes for the first time since she walked into his basement. "You would do everything for your work, right?"  
  
"You know my work is very important to me," he stated.  
  
"And nothing will ever be more important that that, right? Not even your life?"  
  
"Are we going into another discussion on whether or not you are more important than my job? Because I'm not going there, not again. I've been there three times already, and I thought you would have known. You were a secret service agent yourself, and you were willing to take a bullet for the President if you had to."  
  
"Yes," she nodded. "But those are risks that I take when I sign up. I didn't take unnecessary ones."  
  
"What are you getting at?"  
  
"You. You and your honour and your need to get the job done despite the cost," she exploded finally and stood up to face him, defiance in her stance. "Your wanting to get the job done even if it risks your own life unnecessarily. You could have been killed this afternoon had the bullet not been stopped at the glass!"  
  
"Is that what this is about? Worried that I would get killed while working? Those are risks we take as agents, Kate."  
  
"There are risks, yes, but not the ones you take on a regular basis, Gibbs. You could've worn that damn vest under your marine uniform, but no, you didn't!"  
  
He fell silent, not too sure how to respond to her accusations.  
  
"I'm not mad at you for doing your job, Gibbs," she continued, hugging herself while she calmed down a little and looking down at the floor instead of him. "I'm not mad that your work is so important to you. I've accepted that I will always be second to your job. What I can't accept is the way you're so willing to risk your life when you don't have to."  
  
"Kate ... "  
  
"I can't live like this, Gibbs. I can't. I've grown to care about you, to ... love you so much," she took a deep breath to will herself to go on. Telling a man she loved him had always been hard for Kate. "I can't stop worrying about you whenever you're putting yourself in pointless danger."  
  
Gibbs was shocked. It was the first time either of them had voiced their feeling to each other out loud, and he had always imagined it to be under far more romantic circumstance.  
  
"I can't keep on doing this, Gibbs," she shook her head, "I won't. I can't have a piece of myself die every time you've decided work is more important than your life. I ... I'm sorry, but I can't."  
  
Kate looked up to see Gibbs looking at her, shocked. Leaning in, she hugged him and kissed him chastely on the lips, slowly. "Goodbye Jethro Gibbs. I do love you."  
  
She took off before he had a chance to digest what she just said to him. When her words finally registered in his mind, he moved to follow her.  
  
Kate had already taken off.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* 


	2. Priorities

Part 02 of Reactions

Disclaimers: The characters are NOT mine – so please don't sue me… however… I DO COUNT the storyline MY own creation… (can I copyright that?) *grin*

Thank you to Shannon who beta'd this for me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Good morning, Kate," Tony cheerfully greeted the agent walking into the bullpen. She ignored him. "Someone's grumpy today. Didn't get enough beauty sleep last night?"

"Thanks, Tony. You sure know how to make a girl feel good," she returned dryly. She turned her attention to Gibbs, placing a white envelope on his desk.)

"What is it, Agent Todd?" he asked, looking up from the report he was reading. He already had an idea what that was, and it sent his heart racing.

"It's my resignation as we discussed," she said casually, making her way back to her desk and started to move things around to be packed away. "Effective immediately."

"You're LEAVING?" Tony jumped up and quickly made his way over to Kate. "Why, 

Kate? I thought you liked it here? Is that something I did? Or something you're not happy with? I'm sure it's not so bad that you have to resign yet!"

"Tony, it's not anything that you've done," Kate assured the agent. "It's something I have to do."

"Gibbs, say something!" Tony wasn't willing to give up. "Wait, you discussed it with her! Why would you let her go? I thought you said…"

"Enough, Tony," Gibbs ordered before Tony could go on any further.

Kate could see that Gibbs was thinking hard. She had chosen this moment to hand in her resignation specifically because she knew she could very easily be persuaded if she were alone with Gibbs. There wasn't much he could do to change her mind – short of revealing their relationship – with Tony in the room.

"I accept your resignation, Kate," Gibbs said, his voice hoarse. He knew there wasn't anything he could do to change Kate's mind, not after what she said the night before in his house. "But it cannot be effective immediately."

"What?"

"Two weeks, Agent Todd," he responded. "You need to give your notification two weeks in advanced, agent, and since you do not have any vacation time left, your resignation will be effective two weeks later."

"You can't do that," Kate complained, walking up to stand in front of him.

"I'm just following the regulations, Agent Todd," he hissed. "Is it so bad that you can't stand two more weeks here?"

Kate looked into Gibbs' eyes, making sure to send daggers his way, before she said, "Of course not, Agent Gibbs."

She turned back to her desk without another word. The tension in the bullpen was thick. Tony shifted nervously in front of Kate's desk, wanting to try once more to change Kate's mind about leaving or Gibbs' mind about letting her resign, but decided it would be futile. Dejectedly, he moved back to his seat.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Tony, get the sketches. Kate, the photos," Gibbs ordered when the team arrived at the scene where a dead naval officer's body had been found.

Kate was not too happy to find that she would be on one more case before she could escape to the sanctuary of somewhere without Gibbs. Instead of the clean break she was hoping for, she might have to witness one more time Gibbs risking his life unnecessarily.

"I heard you handed in your resignation, Caitlin," Ducky said softly when he approached the weary agent from behind.

"Well, as I said before, this kind of news always travel fast," she commented.

"May I know what the reasons behind this decision are?"

"I'm sorry, Ducky," she shook her head sadly, knowing Gibbs would not appreciate her revealing their past relationship. "It's a pretty personal reason."

"Has to do with Jethro, doesn't it?" he said, and then sighed loudly before Kate could respond, "I knew it. I warned him to watch what he's doing. Does that man ever listen to me? No!"

"Ducky, are you going to chat over there or are you going to help find out what killed Commander Kelley?" Gibbs yelled from his spot on the other end of the crime scene.

"I'm coming, Jethro," he yelled back and turned to Kate once again. "You hang in there, Caitlin. Things will get better."

Kate worked alongside the team quietly. The tension from the office earlier followed them to the crime scene. Neither of them was speaking on the way back to headquarters.

"Dinozzo, get these to Abby." Gibbs handed the younger man the evidence they collected from the site.

Kate watched as Tony moved away from the group and headed toward the forensic labs, knowing full well that Gibbs wanted to take the opportunity to corner her.

"I'm gonna go grab a shower. I'm all sweaty and stuff from working under the sun," she muttered and hoped to get away before Gibbs could stop her. She couldn't.

"We need to talk, Kate, and we can't when Tony's less than 50 feet away from us."

"There's nothing to talk about, sir," she said testily, knowing how much Gibbs hated being called "sir" and wanting to irritate him as much as possible, "since you've already accepted my resignation."

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What have you got?" Gibbs asked when he and the team moved into Abby's lab.

"It can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it," the technician turned off the blasting music she had on.

"Tell me about it."

"It appears that our suspect is either stupid, ignorant, or arrogant." Abby hit a series of strokes before explaining. "I managed to pick up a print from the cover of our commander that does not belong to our commander."

"Maybe this is an amateur?" Tony voiced his thought. "Then he was already too freaked and just took off."

"Kate, what do you think?"

"It was too well-calculated to be an amateur," she said professionally. "The commander was killed in a naval base, and it's a well-planned execution. I'd place my bet on our guy as an arrogant guy who believes he's too good to be caught."

"Okay," Gibbs nodded his agreement. "Abby, run the print through our database and see if we'll get lucky. Kate and Tony, we have some investigating to do."

Gibbs watched as Kate walked out of the lab with Tony and sighed. He had planned to have a long talk with Kate about their relationship, but catching the killer had taken priority - everything else, including his future with Kate, would have to wait.

~*~*~*~*~*~*


	3. History Repeats Itself

Part 03 of Reactions  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the characters from NCIS.... But I DO CONSIDER this story line my imagination and creation! (can I copyright that? *grin*)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Tony and Kate sat silently in the waiting area right outside the operation rooms, waiting for news of their injured leader. They had wrapped up their investigation of the murdered naval officer earlier in the day, a week and a half after the body was discovered. It ended with a vicious exchange of gunfire. Gibbs, who had again refused proper protection, was shot in the chest.  
  
"I'm going to make him pay," Tony said, barely above a whisper finally. "When he wakes up, I'll make sure he pays for being so damn stubborn."  
  
Kate remained silent. One of her worst nightmares had come true. She didn't run fast enough. She was still a witness of another one of Gibbs' near-death experiences. She failed to stop the shiver that ran through her when she once again remembered Gibbs jerked when the bullet entered his chest. She almost screamed at that.  
  
"You okay, Kate?" Tony's concerned voice pulled Kate back from the horrid memories. "You look pale. Are you in shock? Should I get you a doctor?"  
  
"I'm fine, Tony," she replied. Much to her dismay, her voice cracked slightly. "I'll be fine. I was just tired, I guess. I'll go get some coffee. You want one?"  
  
Tony nodded, and Kate moved swiftly out of the waiting area. She needed to get away. It was too suffocating in there for her. She couldn't stop herself from picturing the shooting when she was sitting beside Tony, acting as the loyal subordinate to her boss, while awaiting news for the man she loved.  
  
Having ordered the coffee, Kate made her way back to the waiting area as slowly as possible. She was stalling, but she couldn't help it. She dreaded walking back to the area, feared that she would be told the doctors had done all that they could.  
  
She almost dropped the coffee when she saw a doctor talking to Tony. From her position, she couldn't see Tony's expression, but she could see him nodding every now and then. She rooted to the place she was standing not too far from the men, too frightened to hear what the doctor had to say.  
  
At this point, Tony turned around to see Kate rooted in the spot not too far from them, apparently having heard at least part of the conversation.  
  
"Kate," he approached the female agent and took the coffee from her gently. "Why don't we go sit down?"  
  
Kate nodded. Tony took the seat beside her and the doctor remained standing.  
  
"As I said, we have stabilized Agent Gibbs. He will be put into a room up on the third floor as soon as possible. He will still be unconscious and probably won't wake up until tomorrow morning. He was heavily sedated for the surgery. I'll send someone to get you once he's settled in and I suggest you go get some rest tonight."  
  
"Thank you, doctor," Tony said for both of them and sighed in relief. "Guess our stubborn boss is going to be breathing down our neck in no time."  
  
Kate continued to remain silent. She didn't want to remind Tony that soon, very soon, she wouldn't be sitting across from him in the bullpen anymore.  
  
'Gibbs is fine,' the words kept on repeating in her mind. 'He'll be fine.'  
  
"Tony, would you mind if I go home and grab a quick shower now?" she asked softly after the doctor had left.  
  
Tony looked at her quizzically. For the last few times when Gibbs had to be checked out by a hospital, Kate had always stayed until she was ordered out of the room.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay, Kate?"  
  
"Yes, Tony. I'm fine. I'm just bone tired and would like to get out of these clothes quick," she said with a slight tremor in her voice. "I wanted to just put this night behind me, but these clothes are not helping."  
  
Not believing her story, but knowing that he wouldn't get anything else out of her, Tony shifted his attention to her well-being, "You need a lift? Your car's still at headquarters."  
  
"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'll just take the train."  
  
The hollowness in Kate's eyes made Tony very uncomfortable, but he knew Kate, and he knew that she needed the time to herself. He only prayed she would make it home alright.  
  
"You give me a call when you get home, alright? I need to know you've gotten home safely. God knows we don't need another agent down."  
  
Kate nodded, placating Tony so she could move away as quickly as possible.  
  
It was raining outside. Kate didn't bother with an umbrella. She let the rain pour down on her. Only then would she allow herself to cry, with the rain covering the tears on her face. 


	4. A Late Night Visit

Part 04 of Reactions  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the characters from NCIS.... But I DO CONSIDER this story line my imagination and creation! (can I copyright that? *grin*)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ah, I see you're finally ready to rejoin the rest of us now, Jethro," Ducky's voice penetrated Gibbs' drug induced haze. "Welcome back."  
  
"Ducky?" Gibbs muttered and inwardly winced at how his voice cracked.  
  
"Yes, it's me," the medical examiner moved closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I was shot," Gibbs retorted and groaned when he couldn't sit up. "Water?"  
  
Ducky handed him the cup he already had beside him. "Small sips only."  
  
"You sound like my mother," Gibbs sighed as the water soothed the roughness of his throat.  
  
"Well, I'd take that as a compliment," Ducky chuckled lightly. He stepped out briefly to alert the nurse that Gibbs has woken up and returned to the room.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"10 in the morning. I sent Tony home a few hours ago. He stayed the night, just in case, he said."  
  
"Kate?" he couldn't stop himself from asking. If he were to be honest with himself, he was disappointed to find Ducky beside him instead of Kate.  
  
"She went home right after the doctor confirmed you were out of the woods. She called earlier from the office asking how you were doing."  
  
Gibbs couldn't help but groaned. His heart constricted painfully at the thought of how Kate wouldn't even stand to say with him even when he was shot.  
  
"I see you're awake now, Agent Gibbs," the doctor walked into the room, bring Gibbs' back from thinking about Kate. "How are you feeling, Agent Gibbs?"  
  
"Like I was shot," he repeated. The doctor chuckled and started the routine examination as Ducky slipped out of the room to make a few phone calls.  
  
When he re-entered the room, having been informed that Gibbs was expected to make a full recovery, he took his seat beside Gibbs' bed again, "Tony and Abby are on their way."  
  
"Kate?" again, Gibbs couldn't stop himself to ask.  
  
Ducky watched carefully as Gibbs looked at him expectantly. If he was not mistaken, it might have been hope and desire he saw in his eyes.  
  
"She's staying put in the office in case something comes up," Ducky finally said.  
  
Gibbs didn't say anything after that and let his emotions take over him. He allowed anger and frustration at Kate's stubbornness fill himself.  
  
"Jethro, I can see you're hurting," the medical examiner said, aware what Gibbs was thinking. "I know you don't usually listen to me when it comes to relationship, but trust me on this. Hang on to the relationship if you think that is the one for you, and that she will make you happy. You've been through three marriages; you should know if this one is THAT precious one you've been waiting for. If it is, don't let go. Don't let her run away."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ma'am, visiting hours are over," the nurse at the reception desk looked up and informed the approaching female agent.  
  
"I know," Kate replied softly. "But I have to work during the day. This is the only time that I'm free and can visit. Can you please let me in? I promise I won't disturb him and the others."  
  
"Who is it that you're here to see?"  
  
"Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs."  
  
"He's been given sleeping pills, so he'll probably be sleeping now."  
  
"I'm aware of that, but please, I just want to watch him for a while."  
  
The nurse studied Kate for a long moment, seeing the pleading in her eyes and sighed, "I'll go check with my supervisor."  
  
Kate nodded gratefully at the nurse and waited, again promising to be quiet and that she would leave within an hour before finally being allowed in Gibbs' room.  
  
She stared at the sleeping men in front of her for a long time, taking comfort from the beeping of the machines hooked to him. She knew she was a coward, choosing to visit in the wee hours at night instead of during the day when he was conscious. She didn't know what to say to him. She thought of not seeing him at all, knowing that seeing him hurt would likely break her heart. She couldn't stay away. No matter how hard she tried, she had to see him. Visiting when he was sleeping would be the best solution then.  
  
After a long while, she moved toward Gibbs and sat in the chair beside his bed. She contented herself with just watching him sleep, seeing how peaceful he was. It had always been one of the things she enjoyed doing the most. She would definitely miss that when she left.  
  
Unable to stop herself, Kate ran her hand through his hair and brushed them off his forehead. She jerked her hand back as if she were burned when Gibbs stirred a little. Worried that he would wake up, she quickly stood up and made way toward the door.  
  
Turning around to look at him once again, she whispered softly, "Good night, Gibbs. I love you, and I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
When the door shut softly behind her, a soft murmur was heard, "Kate."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* 


	5. The Confrontation

Part 05 of Reactions  
  
Disclaimers: I don't own the characters from NCIS.... But I DO CONSIDER this story line my imagination and creation! (can I copyright that? *grin*)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Gibbs instinctively reached over to his right side when he woke up from his drug-induced sleep. Finding the space beside him empty, he immediately tried to sit up quickly and groaned in pain as he was reminded where he was.  
  
He dropped his head back onto the pillow dejectedly and sighed. He had fallen asleep during the night. Again.  
  
Gibbs was shocked at how he reached for Kate without thinking when he woke up. They hadn't slept together for very long, but it felt right, almost too right. The nights Kate stayed with him were the only ones that he slept in his bed. It was just to big to be sleeping in it alone.  
  
Turning toward the chair by his bed, he welcomed the faint smell that lingered, that of apple mixed with lemon, that he had long recognized and associated with Kate.  
  
For a week, Gibbs had attempted to stay awake during the night to see for himself whether Kate had indeed been visiting him during the night, while he was asleep. He wanted, needed, to see her.  
  
It started the second night he spent in the hospital. During the night, even in his sleep induced state, he heard soft murmuring of the woman he loved. He couldn't make out what she was saying, nor could he open his eyes to look at her. He could feel her soft touch through his hair though, and heard, at last, her soft declaration of love.  
  
He chalked it up to a dream the next morning when he woke up and found the chair empty, and the faint smell of apple and lemon his imagination. Then, Tony breezed into the room and proved otherwise.  
  
"What's that smell in here, boss?" the younger agent had asked as soon as he sat down on the chair. "It smells... girly."  
  
The confirmation that Tony had also smelled the faint fragrance sent his heart racing. Even though he knew it still could have been from one of the nurses, his guts told him that it was Kate. His Kate.  
  
Why would she visit him in the middle of the night but refuse to see him when he was awake so they could talk. So he could tell her and promise her that he would not risk his life unnecessarily again. Did she hate him that much?  
  
He knew her two-week was up, and that he had lost his only mean of making her stay. Being shot in the chest and ending up in the hospital didn't help either. Still, knowing that she hadn't left the DC area soothed the panic that filled him every time he thought of her leaving. At least she was still here, and that she still cared about him to pay him visits.  
  
He feared for the day when he wouldn't find the lingering smell when he woke up. He needed to talk to her, to ask her to stay, and to kiss her until she forgot she was going to leave.  
  
The door to his room opened, and Gibbs thought he was again hallucinating when he saw Kate walked in with Tony. She looked tired, thinner than he remembered.  
  
"How are you feeling, boss?" Tony asked, his usual cheerfulness returned.  
  
"I'll be much better if you would stop talking so loudly in here," Gibbs said gruffly. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, Kate and I went out to lunch, and we decided to drop before we go back to the office by for a while to keep you from going insane here."  
  
Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Tony's implication that Kate still worked at NCIS.  
  
"Kate has accepted the director's request to stay on until you are declared fit for duty," Tony provided at the older agent's confused face. "So, have you gone insane being locked here yet? Do you need anything? Want me to go and take care of your boat?"  
  
"Don't you dare go near my boat, Tony. Don't you have a job somewhere to do?"  
  
"Guess you're feeling much better now since you're back to your old self."  
  
"Get out of here," he ordered with a stare. "Go do something productive."  
  
"If you say so," Tony shrugged and winked at Kate. "We can always go have some time for ourselves."  
  
The pain medication administered lowered his self defences, and for the first time in a long time, he was assaulted with waves of feeling he couldn't recognize. Jealousy filled him as he heard Tony's comment and saw the way his hand went casually to the small of Kate's back.  
  
"Agent Todd, do you mind to stay behind? I'd like to have a word with you," he stopped their movement in a casual tone, as if he was about to discuss official business instead of the highly personal matter.  
  
"I'm not so sure, sir," her smirk of satisfaction when Gibbs cringed wasn't missed by her colleagues. "I didn't drive, so I'm dependent on Tony to get me back to headquarters."  
  
"Well, he can wait in the cafe or something."  
  
"Yes, he can," Tony said hurriedly, sensing the tension between his two colleagues again. "Kate, come find me when you're ready to leave."  
  
"What can I do for your, Agent Gibbs?" Kate asked as soon as Tony closed the door behind himself.  
  
"Will you stop 'sir'-ing me and quit calling me Agent Gibbs? We both know this has nothing to do with our work, so let's just drop that, shall we?" his voice was quiet, but Kate didn't miss the storm brewing in his eyes.  
  
"Do we? So far, you've given me no indication that this is a personal matter," Kate retorted spitefully. She knew she still loved the man, but she wouldn't, couldn't, let that feeling influence her. Not now. Not when she desperately needed to get away. "If this has nothing to do with official matter, then maybe I should leave. I don't think there is anything personal that we should discuss."  
  
She turned to leave the room without waiting for Gibbs to reply. She didn't turn around to look at him like her heart wanted to. She couldn't, because she knew very well she wouldn't be able to leave if she did.  
  
"Yes there is, because you still care about me," he again stopped her from leaving the room in the same quiet tone.  
  
"You don't know that," she countered, her voice quivered a little.  
  
"I do. I know that because I know you've been to see me every night when I was asleep. You still care, Kate. Don't do this."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~* 


	6. One More Try

Part 06 of Reactions Disclaimers: I don't own the characters from NCIS.... But I DO CONSIDER this story line my imagination and creation! (can I copyright that? *grin*) ~*~*~*~*~*~* Kate turned around, her eyes wide in shock at being caught.  
  
"You know ... "  
  
"I could smell your shampoo – or whatever it is that you put on – in the mornings when I woke up," Gibbs confirmed.  
  
When Kate fell silent, Gibbs looked at her helplessly. He wanted nothing more than to go over and hug her to him so she wouldn't even think about going away, but he was confined to the bed for the time being. "Please, Kate, we need to talk."  
  
Kate could see the fatigue in his eyes, and knew that the short conversation must be exhausting his still recovering body. She also knew that it took a lot for Gibbs to show so much emotion, and that probably had to do with the medicine.  
  
"You need your rest," she said softly, moving forward so she could brush the hair off his forehead. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't leave him--not when he was hurting. She felt too much for him.  
  
"We need to talk," he insisted, and he was frustrated at how his body couldn't stay awake. The attempts to stay up during the night did take a lot out of him, especially without coffee.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere. At least not yet," Kate promised. "We can talk when you're better. Now, you need your rest."  
  
"You're not leaving?" he asked, hope soaring.  
  
"Not yet," she confirmed. "Now, you go back to sleep."  
  
"Promise me you'll be back to visit sometime when I'm awake," he requested.  
  
Kate nodded her consent, "You really should rest now, Gibbs."  
  
"It's Jethro," he corrected, his eyes already closed.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"Jethro," Gibbs murmured sleepily. "Name's Jethro."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Gibbs heard Kate's soft murmuring before he opened his eyes. He thought he was still in his dream until he saw the agent sitting beside his bed, looking at him.  
  
"Kate?"  
  
"You're awake," She handed him a cup of water and quickly looked away. "Here. Drink this."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Neither of them talked for a while. Kate chose to concentrate on her hands in her lap while Gibbs studied her.  
  
Emotions were running wild inside Kate. She didn't know what to think anymore. Gibbs' prompting to call him "Jethro" spoke volumes. It was a different level. A lot more personal--and that would be her undoing.  
  
She almost ran to the cafeteria to inform Tony that she would stay with Gibbs, so eager was she to return to his side. She would content herself with watching him sleep and simply being close to him again.  
  
Gibbs finally broke the silence. "You're here."  
  
Kate let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, I'm here, Gibbs. I'm not your imagination."  
  
"I thought I said you should be calling me Jethro now," was all Gibbs said before a coughing spell started.  
  
Kate was hovering over him in an instant, trying to make him feel better. His heart warmed at her apparent worries.  
  
"Are you still upset?" he asked after drinking another small cup of water. "You were planning on leaving."  
  
"I was," she nodded, looking away from him.  
  
"Are you still going to go away?"  
  
"I... I don't know," she admitted, finally voicing her hesitation in leaving the man she loved.  
  
"I will come after you," Gibbs simply stated. "I will find you and then come after you."  
  
"Why?" Kate said barely above a whisper. The knowledge that he would leave everything and go after her was overwhelming.  
  
Gibbs looked right into her eyes, letting her see for herself what he felt. Kate saw ... and knew ... and understood the emotions she was allowed to see. Gibbs could not easily voice what he felt: he was a man of action, not of words.  
  
"What about all your rules?" she questioned softly.  
  
"Rules are there for people to break," Gibbs pointed out with a grin, and then turned sober again. "Please, Kate. At least give us one more try. Don't leave."  
  
"Are you willing to give us a try, Gibbs? Really give us a try?"  
  
He took her smaller hand in his own and brought it to his lips. "Yes. And this will work." 


End file.
